Visit From An Angel
by Kimberly2
Summary: Because Leo disobeys the elders, they do not save him when he's caught in a fire. Now it's up to their daughter, Melinda, to restore Piper's faith in angels and destiny.
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Piper froze in her seat at the dinner table. She said it again, she thought. She thinks he's still here! He's been dead over a year and she thinks he's still here!  
  
Across the table, Phoebe noticed her sister's worried look. She collected up her dishes, then stood.  
  
"Are you done, Mel?" She asked her niece. Melinda didn't respond. She was staring at her mom. Didn't he come to her, too? Piper shot her a look.  
  
"Phoebe asked you a question," she stated, grabbing up her half-eaten plate of food and silverware.  
  
"Yeah, I'm done." She shoved her plate further in front of her for Phoebe to take. Piper stood up and began washing her dishes as Phoebe joined her at the sink.  
  
"When is Paige supposed to be home?" Phoebe said as she dried off a plate. She knew the answer, but she'd asked again, trying to break the ice.  
  
Piper just shrugged, still in a daze. Her thoughts were so loud inside of her that if she tried to talk, her head might explode. Phoebe picked up on the fact that something wasn't right.  
  
"Hey Mel," Phoebe said cheerfully, walking over behind the seven-year- old's chair. "How about you and me go get some double fudge ice cream?" Melinda smiled a bit, her eyes looking to one side as she thought about it.  
  
"With brownie chunks and whipped cream?" She asked, turning to face her aunt. Phoebe always knew how to push something out of someone's mind.  
  
"Of course," Phoebe said with a smile.  
  
"Okay," Melinda agreed. She ran over to Piper and gave her a quick hug. "Love you, Mommy," she said before running out to the car. Phoebe smiled at her.  
  
"You okay?" Phoebe asked with a concerned look.  
  
"Yeah, I'm alright.just a little mixed up," she said with a shrug. "See you in an hour?"  
  
"Mmhmmm, love you!" She said, grabbing her purse and going out the door.  
  
After the door clicked shut, Piper broke down. She dropped down to her knees and her hands covered her face. Her mind spun and spun as she cried, going back to the day he'd left them. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One  
  
A banner hung from the stairwell.  
  
'Happy 6th Birthday, Melinda!'  
  
Piper walked down the stairs, checking on everything as she went. Leo followed her as she went into the kitchen. She took the cake off of the stove and began icing it. He came up behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. She smiled, relaxing into his body as she finished icing the cake. She suddenly tensed up, turning around and searching the room. A frown formed on her face.  
  
"Candles! I knew I forgot something!" She said as Leo looked up. Piper stepped out of his arms and backed away from him, knowing what that upward glance meant. They were calling him.  
  
"No, not today," she said, shaking her head. "Of all the days, Leo, not today."  
  
"Piper, it's my job."  
  
"So your job is suddenly more important than your family? Your job is more important than your little girl's birthday?"  
  
"God damnit, Piper, don't even try to do that. You know that isn't true." But Piper's jaw was clenched as her looked away from him, staring at the linoleum floor. Leo just rolled his eyes and grabbed Piper's car keys of the table.  
  
"Where are you going?" She asked, raising her head back up.  
  
"I'm going to the store to buy birthday candles," he said before shutting the door.  
  
Melinda sat on the staircase, her eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall. She'd heard everything. It was the first time they'd fought like that, and she had a bad feeling about it.  
  
Leo drove quickly to the store and made his way inside.  
  
2 hours later.  
  
Where is he?! Piper asked herself. People were beginning to arrive for the party and he still wasn't back. Maybe they'd called him again, maybe he was just away on a supernatural emergency. The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts. She opened the door, expecting another guest. Instead a tall man wearing an immaculate suit stood there, seemingly unsure of what to do.  
  
"Darryl," she said in a surprised voice.  
  
"Piper," he said softly, his eyes darting to her's, then quickly. "Could I come in?"  
  
"Yeah, of course," she said, opening the door further. Darryl walked in, noticing the banners and decorations as Piper led him into the living room.  
  
"Melinda's birthday?" He asked, steering away from the reason he was there.  
  
"Yeah," she said in an unsure voice. "Darryl, what's going on?"  
  
"I don't know how to tell you this.," he said, looking away.  
  
"Leo," she said softly. Darryl nodded at her and put a hand on her back, trying to lead her to a chair.  
  
"You should probably sit down," he said, guiding her into the large recliner. He continued on, telling her of the building fire. She only caught bits and pieces. 'Flames too strong'. 'No survivors'. 'So sorry'. She didn't care if he was sorry or not. Her world had come to an abrupt halt that day. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two  
  
She quickly stood up, trying to collect herself. 'No, I will never think about it again. It's over. It's done with. He's gone and there's nothing to think about.' She tried to finish up the dishes in a hurry, but had to stop and wipe away occasional tears that insisted on coming down. Once she'd finished, she walked upstairs and changed into pajama pants and one of Leo's old t-shirts. Piper laid down on her bed, hugging the shirt around herself. Sniffling, she looked up towards 'them'. The Elders. She hated them so much. They didn't bring them back. They could have, but no. They didn't bring him back because he disobeyed them. And she was the reason he'd disobeyed them. 'They didn't bring him back because of me', she thought.  
  
Just then she heard the door open and the voices of her younger sister and her daughter ring through the halls. Footsteps echoed from the stairs, through the hallway and to her door.  
  
"Mommy?" She heard a voice ask. "Can I come in?" Melinda's voice. It sounded so young, so innocent. It was.  
  
"Of course you can," Piper said as she sat up on the bed. "Did you have fun with Aunt Phoebe?" Melinda smiled as her mother spoke, happy that her mother didn't seem as upset as she'd expected.  
  
"Yeah, I ate ALL of my ice cream," Melinda said as she sat down next to Piper.  
  
"All of it? That's a lot of ice cream for a little girl," Piper said as she raised her eyebrows. Melinda pouted at the comment, obviously showing disgust at being called a 'little girl'. "I'm sorry, a medium girl." They both smiled at that.  
  
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Melinda asked hopefully.  
  
"As long as you get into your pajamas and brush your teeth."  
  
"Okay!" Melinda hopped up, leaving Piper alone in the room. She let her thoughts drift back to Leo. He'd love to see Melinda now. She'd become more mature on the inside as well as the outside. She appeared to be a mini-replica of Piper more than ever, but with Leo's eyes and chin. After a few minutes, Melinda came back into the room and crawled into bed with her mother. Piper lay on her back and Melinda rested her head on her mother's shoulder. She could smell the aftershave from the shirt and it reminded her of her father. He always smelled that way, no matter what. It was like the scent he came with. Everyone had one. Her mother always smelled of lavender, the perfume she'd used ever since Melinda could remember. They were both comforting smells. When they mixed together, she felt as if she were right where she was supposed to be. Like her parents were both there in the room somehow, holding onto her and keeping her safe.  
  
"Mommy?" Melinda asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You smell like Daddy." And those were the last words spoken between them that night. They both knew what the other was thinking because they shared the same thoughts, almost. Piper's were different because, unlike Melinda, she felt that Leo was gone forever. That he'd left without a trace and would never come back. Melinda knew otherwise. And so she fell asleep that night pondering a way to make her mother believe that Leo was still watching over them. And that he always would be. 


	4. Chapter 3

*Just wanted to let you guys know before I write.yes, Leo is a whitelighter and he's already dead, therefore he wouldn't normally be killed in a fire. However, he disobeyed the Elders by not orbing up when they called him. So, as a punishment they let him die naturally instead of bringing him back. I know there was some confusion there, but I added an explanation here and in the summary! Thanks for all the reviews! You guys have really made me want to write more and more! ( Now.onto the next Chapter!*  
  
Chapter Three  
  
The next morning Melinda woke up to the sun shining through her mother's window. Piper still lay asleep next to her, so she got up, careful so as not to wake her. Melinda crept downstairs, avoiding the creaks she knew well in the stairs. She found her aunts already awake and sipping coffee in the kitchen.  
  
"Hi Aunt Phoebe, hi Aunt Paige," she said as she entered the kitchen.  
  
"Morning sweetie," Phoebe said as she poured herself some coffee.  
  
"Well, if it isn't my favorite niece," Paige said with a smile. Melinda giggled at the comment.  
  
"I'm your only niece, silly," Melinda said as she sat down at the table.  
  
"Well, that makes you all the more special, doesn't it," she asked, her lips pursed and waiting for an answer. She then went over and picked the little girl up, tickling her all over. Melinda playfully screamed and squirmed out of her Aunt's grasp. She ran into the living room still screaming with delight as Paige chased her. Phoebe laughed and then noticed Piper walking into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey. How are you doing now?"  
  
"I'm fine," Piper said, a hint of confusion in her voice. She took a look around, hearing the footsteps and the screams. "What is going on here?" Just then Melinda came running in and hid behind Piper's legs.  
  
"MOMMY! MOMMY! She's trying to get me!" Paige, huffing and puffing, came in more than a few moments later, gripping onto the counter to take a breather.  
  
"You're wearin' me out, kid. I think I'm getting old," Paige said in between breaths. Everyone laughed at her comment. She sat down at the table with her steaming mug of coffee and a bagel. Melinda, having come out from hiding now, took note of Paige's bagel.  
  
"Mommy, can I have a bagel for breakfast like Aunt Paige?"  
  
"Ooh! Me too. Please?" Phoebe asked, her lip flipping into a pout so she could beg. Piper laughed at her.  
  
"Sure, I think I'll have one, too," she said, then got everything out to make them. Once she'd finished, she sat down at the table with everyone and began to eat.  
  
"So, what are you guys doing today?" Paige asked, finishing the last bit of her breakfast. "Just thought I'd ask since you'll probably be doing better things than sitting around here like me."  
  
"I wouldn't count on that, unless work is better than sitting around," Phoebe said with a sigh.  
  
"What?! They have you working Saturdays now?" Piper questioned.  
  
"Yup. I never thought this many people had problems, and much less did I think that they'd actually write to an advice columnist about them."  
  
"Well, lucky for you they do," Paige said with a bit of sarcasm. "What are you two doing today?" She asked, looking to Melinda and Piper.  
  
"I don't know yet," Piper said after having swallowed a bite of bagel. "What should we do today, Mel?"  
  
"Shopping," she replied, her eyes lighting up with excitement.  
  
"Hmm, good idea," Piper commented. "Paige, do you want to come with?"  
  
"No, actually there was something I wanted to read up on. Besides, you two are overdue on the mother-daughter time," she said, standing up and collecting everyone's dishes to put in the sink. After breakfast, they all went up to get ready for the day. 


End file.
